A5xhttp://www.maclife.com/taxonomy/term/10739/all
enNew Apple TV Not a Redesign, Just 'Component Change'http://www.maclife.com/article/news/new_apple_tv_not_redesign_just_component_change
<!--paging_filter--><p>Last night, rumors started circulating of a new Apple TV, thanks to a FCC filing with diagrams. Among the various discussions were ideas the streaming home theater device might actually be smaller than the current model. Today, Apple has made a statement, dismissing the updated Apple TV as any kind of redesign.</p><p>Speaking to <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/30/3932938/new-apple-tv-wont-be-smaller-minor-component-changes" target="_blank">The Verge</a>, Apple says the forthcoming Apple TV model will mean a change in model number, not size.&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/files/u323900/appletv3_2.png" alt="Apple TV 3,2 specs" /></p><p>"We sometimes make component changes which require an updated model number for regulatory approval," reads the Apple statement. "The component changes we made don't affect product features and Apple TV customers will continue to have the same great user experience."</p><p>Hmm. So, despite the suspect dimensions listed on the FCC filing, it sounds like the Apple TV update won't change the unit's size. Still, Apple's statement does mean there's a "component change" on the way for the Apple TV 3,2 (as it's listed in the iOS 6.1 update).</p><p><a href="http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/01/30/apple-tv-32-is-just-a-mid-season-internal-upgrade-with-no-external-difference-in-size/" target="_blank">The Next Web</a> reports they have "uncovered" other details showing the updated Apple TV will include an A5X processor and a single-antenna Broadcom BCM4334 wireless chip. The information appears to come from <a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/6709/slightly-smaller-apple-tv-32-a1469-contains-a5x-soc-bcm4334-combo" target="_blank">AnandTech</a>, which cites .plist files referencing the changes (as well as a revamped A5XR2 chip).</p><p>Clearly, based on Apple's statement, the Apple TV is receiving <em>some sort</em> of mid-model internal update. But until we see the changes, or hear more from Apple, statements on the exact upgrades are still speculation.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em>Follow this article's author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/clarkmatt" target="_blank">Matt Clark, on Twitter</a>.</em></p><p><em>Image Source: Engadget</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/new_apple_tv_not_redesign_just_component_change#commentsNewsA5xappleApple TVapple tv redesignbroadcom wirelesssmaller apple tvWed, 30 Jan 2013 22:43:24 +0000Matt Clark16117 at http://www.maclife.comReport: The New iPad is Packing 1GB of RAMhttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/report_new_ipad_packing_1gb_ram
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/a5x_processor_200px.png" alt="A5X processor" width="200" height="149" class="graphic-right" />Apple rarely plays the specs game, particularly when it comes to its iOS devices. Sure, you’ll get a name for the processor and they’ll boast about pixels when it suits them, but talk about RAM or clock speed and there’s radio silence. However, according to one source, the iPad’s dirty little secret is its ever-increasing RAM usage.<br /><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/7/2853448/sources-apple-new-ipad-makes-leap-1gb-of-ram" target="_blank"><br />The Verge is reporting</a> that “the new iPad” -- you know, the one with that amazing new Retina Display -- may very well be shipping with a full 1GB of RAM to assist that swanky new A5X processor with quad-core graphics and 2048x1536 screen. So what’s the big deal? It seems the iPad is doubling its RAM usage with each new model, according to sources.<br /><br />“Sources have informed us that Apple's latest has indeed received an upgrade in that area as well, and will ship with 1GB of RAM -- double that of its predecessor,” the report reveals. “Cupertino has consistently tried to avoid playing the specifications game with the iPad and iPhone; the products have almost always shipped with memory and horsepower that were considered below the norm for their respective times, with the original iPad featuring just 256MB of RAM.”<br /><br />256MB to 1GB of RAM in three generations is hardly a surprise, especially considering what the new iPad is capable of compared to the original model introduced in 2010. But it is a good indication that the iPad will eventually face many of the same problems that desktop computers have -- as apps get larger and more capable, they’ll need a bigger pool of random access memory to swim around in.<br /><br />You can bet that there will be a teardown of the new iPad on or around March 16, and then we’ll probably all know for sure what the third-generation tablet is packing.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/report_new_ipad_packing_1gb_ram#commentsNews1GBA5xiOSmemoryprocessorRAMretina displayRumorsTeardownThe New iPadupgradeiPadThu, 08 Mar 2012 14:19:12 +0000J.R. Bookwalter13495 at http://www.maclife.comWhat You Need to Know About the A5X Chiphttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/what_you_need_know_about_a5x_chip
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u307916/2012/Online/a5x.jpg" width="620" height="420" /></p><p>Now that we’re officially entrenched in the "post-PC" recvolution, we can officially say goodbye to megahertz (and the myths that go along with them) forever. They might still be a necessary evil on Mac spec sheets, but as the iPad and iPhone competitors have proved, the harmony of the package means much more than a top-of-the-line chip.<br /><br />With Apple released the iPad 2, it was powered by a brand-new processor, dubbed the A5, a customized version of ARM’s Cortex-A9 MPCore dual-core CPU with a dual-core PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU. What that means is, according to Apple, an iPad that’s twice as fast with graphics nine times faster as its predecessor. The numbers might be a tad skewed by Steve’s Reality Distortion Field, but anyone who used an iPad 2 could certainly see the speed improvements.</p><p>With the third-generation iPad, Apple has graduated to an A5X chip, saving the fabled A6 processor for a later revision. It’s a similar dual-core chip (likely at the same clock speed), but it packs a serious punch in the graphics department (hence the "X"), making it four times as fast as the iPad 2’s A5 (or 36 times faster than the original iPad). Calling it a “graphics powerhouse,” senior vice president Phil Schiller not only showed the obligatory slide illustrating its dominance over the iPad 2, but also took the time to compare it to the four-plus-one-core Tegra 3, used to power competitors such as the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Acer Iconia Tab and HTC One X.<br /><br />According to Schiller, the A5X’s quad-core GPU bests the Tegra 3’s dodeca-core GPU (that’s 12 for you non-Greek majors) by a factor of 4, putting a severe dent into NVIDIA’s claim as “the world's first mobile super processor.” How is this possible? Two possible reasons: the clock speed of each core (which we don’t know) and the optimization of the OS and software (code needs to be written to take advantage of each and every core in order to see a performance boost). By controlling the whole experience, Apple ensures the a perfect marriage of hardware and software; Asus and Android can’t make the same assurances.<br /><br />Schiller said the A5X is “designed specifically for the Retina display to drive its 4-times the number of pixels,” and based on the demos we saw on stage, it looks more than up to the task.</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/what_you_need_know_about_a5x_chip#commentsNewsA5xipad gamingiPad retina displaynew ipadpost-PC eraretina displayThe New iPadiPadWed, 07 Mar 2012 23:08:45 +0000Michael Simon13487 at http://www.maclife.comPhil Schiller Introduces the New Retina Display iPad, Available March 16http://www.maclife.com/article/news/phil_schiller_introduces_new_retina_display_ipad_available_march_16
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/new_ipad_retina_display_200px.png" alt="The new iPad" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />Blasting through a series of product updates and announcements this morning in San Francisco, Apple CEO Tim Cook wasted no time cutting to the chase by announcing what we all wanted to hear: “The new iPad.”<br /><br />"Everyone's been wondering... who will come out with a product that's more amazing than the iPad 2?" Apple CEO Tim Cook asked during today’s event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. As it turns out, Apple is the that company, <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/" target="_blank">announcing what’s now simply known as “the new iPad”</a> with their usual dramatic flair.<br /><br />Apple’s Phil Schiller took the stage to confirm a Retina Display for the new iPad, claiming “to this day, no one has yet matched that display technology.” With 2048x1536 display resolution, the new iPad contains 3.1 million pixels -- more than a 1080p HD monitor at 1920x1080 by more than a million pixels.<br /><br />"This presents a problem for us in presenting it to you,” Schiller quips. “For the first time an iPad has a higher​ resolution than this entire display behind you. That's a fun challenge."<br /><br />Touting the most pixels ever in a mobile device, Schiller extorts the new iPad’s 264ppi, which is “enough to call it a Retina Display,” particularly given that the iPad is customarily held 15 inches away, versus the iPhone 4’s 10 inches.<br /><br />The new display now offers 44 percent better color saturation than the iPad 2, with an A5X processor and quad-core graphics. Apple claims the A5 is already “twice as fast” as competing Tegra 3 processors used in Android tablets, and the A5X now offers “four times the performance.”<br /><br />Of course, with a higher-quality display comes a new camera system as well. The new iPad features a five-megapixel backside illuminated sensor on the rear side, complete with a five-element lens, IR filter and ISP built right into the A5X chip. If that sounds familiar, it should -- that’s similar to what’s built into the existing iPhone 4S.<br /><br />1080p video recording is also part of the new iPad. "Wherever you are, you want to grab a​ video for work or play or school you've got a great camera to grab that with,” Schiller notes.<br /><br />Voice dictation also comes standard with the new iPad, supporting U.S. English, British, Australian, French, German and Japanese. Not quite the full Siri experience, but we’re getting there.<br /><br />The new iPad will also come with 4G LTE from both AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless, with a demonstration topping out at 73Mbps over competing standards like EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. (Telus, Rogers and Bell will also be LTE partners as well.) The good news is, all of the LTE models will be 3G world-ready. "Whichever one you pick you can roam anywhere​ around the world,” Schiller noted, also pointing out that the iPad can be set up as a personal hotspot, where supported.<br /><br />You might be thinking that a Retina Display and 4G LTE would absolutely kill the iPad’s battery life, but Apple claims the new models have the same 10 hours of battery life, with nine hours when using a 4G LTE connection -- all with a slightly heavier 1.4-pound frame and 9.4mm thickness.<br /><br />The new iPad will be available on March 16 at the same prices as the current iPad 2 models, with preorders starting today and Apple’s biggest rollout ever for the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, with 26 more countries arriving on March 23.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author,<a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank"> J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p><em><br /></em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/phil_schiller_introduces_new_retina_display_ipad_available_march_16#commentsNews1080p4G LTEA5xiPad 3iPad retina displayiSightnew ipadPhil SchillerPhotosretina displayThe New iPadiPadWed, 07 Mar 2012 18:49:11 +0000J.R. Bookwalter13478 at http://www.maclife.comWhat to Expect from the iPad 3 Eventhttp://www.maclife.com/article/columns/what_expect_ipad_3_event
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/ipad_next_to_small_ipad_200px.png" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" /></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The new iPad will be unleashed upon the public tomorrow! We hope, anyway. As we wait in the bleachers with anticipation for tomorrow morning's event, we're recapping the last bit of rumors to make our own score of what might be in store at Apple's iPad 3 event. <br /> </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Here's a recap of what we think we know. After all, nothing you hear counts until it's confirmed during a keynote.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">-- Apple is said to have been <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2012/02/26/apple-working-on-enhanced-a5-chip-a5x-and-completely-new-chip-a6/"><span class="s2">testing two different chipsets</span></a> that could find their way into the iPad 3: a dual-core A5 and a quad-core A6. Should this information prove correct, it could mean one of two things: Apple will soon be providing consumers with the option of not only choosing how much memory they'd like their iPad to come equipped with, but also the tier of processing power it has allotted to it. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The second, and more likely scenario here is that Apple has simply been testing two new chip architectures at the same time in order to figure out which chip will best compliment the rest of the iPad 3's guts. <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/6/2849384/sources-apple-tv-update-ipad-3-ipad-hd-lte-verizon-att"><span class="s2">The Verge</span></a> reports that the A6 chipset is being held back for use in iPhone 5. We’ll find out what’s what tomorrow.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">-- The Verge is also reporting that iPad 3 -- or <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2011/07/07/iphone-5-design-ipad-hd-iphone-4s/"><span class="s2">iPad HD</span></a>, depending on who you ask -- will also boast the ability to display 1080p video as well as the capacity to share that HD video with other equipped to handily share with.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">-- The folks at <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/17/confirmed-ipad-3-has-a-2048x1536-retina-display/"><span class="s2">MacRumors</span></a> claim that they've gotten their hands on a bona fide iPad 3 display. If what they have is the real McCoy, then consumers can expect the next edition of the tablet to melt their faces with a 9.7 inch display boasting a 2048x1536 resolution.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">-- According to a number of outlets, including the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204062704577221960347109978.html"><span class="s2">Wall Street Journal</span></a> and Boy Genius Report, "individuals familiar with the matter" are claiming that iPad 3 will have LTE communication capabilities baked right into it. In areas where no LTE connectivity is available, the iPad will automatically switch over to older network communication standards like 3G in order to stay in touch with the outside world.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">-- Given the number of HD cameras cropping up in other smartphones and tablets, there's a very good chance that Apple may see fit to finally do something about the iPad's dismal front and rear facing cameras. HD FaceTime chat on the iPad? Where do we sign up?&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">-- That new chip, beefier display, upgraded cameras and robust communications hardware have to fit somewhere, right? Expect to see <a href="http://www.cultofmac.com/145218/leaked-ipad-3-components-reveal-new-internals-but-no-new-design-exclusive/"><span class="s2">a slightly thicker case</span></a>. After all, thinner doesn't always mean better.</span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Be sure to <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/news/live_blog_apple_ipad_3_event" target="_blank">join us tomorrow morning</a> for up to the minute coverage of everything Apple unveils!</span></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/columns/what_expect_ipad_3_event#commentsNews4GA5A5xA6 ChipsetApple EventColumnsiPad 3LTEnew ipadretina displayRumorsRumors!!!Tim CookiPadTue, 06 Mar 2012 23:03:19 +0000Seamus Bellamy13467 at http://www.maclife.com